Radiator



A. P. LIVAR June 8, 1937.

RADIATOR original Filed Feb. '4, '1935 to produce a rapid and eiect-ual mixing ofthe Patented June 8, `1937 RADIATOR y Allen P. Livar, Montclair, N. J., assigner, by direct and mesne assignments, of one-half to Richmond Radiator Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware and one-half to Sears, Roebuck and Co., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of New York Continuation of application Serial No. 655,235, February 4, 1933. This application October 14,

1935, Serial No. 44,837

1s'c1aims. (01.257-151) The invention pertains to radiators of the type used in space heating, and one object thereof is to provide a radiator which, while composed of separate cast sections, presents the appearance of a closed cabinet except for the provision in the upper part of its front wall of an ornamental grille, and which provides, moreover, for a substantially unrestricted flow through the radiator of a large volume of air which is eifectually heated in its passage and then discharged forwardly through the grille in the form of a multiplicity of superimposed air streams, whereby air with the room air.

Another object is to provide a radiator of the character indicated which, because of its high eiciency as a heat exchanger, may be made substantially smaller than prior radiators of like l capacity so that it requires a smaller amount of space and is capable of being supplied at a lower cost.

The objects of the invention thus generally stated, together with other'and ancillary advantages, are attained by the construction and arrangement shown by Way of illustration in the accompanying drawing and hereinafter described as the preferred embodiment of the invention. In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a radiator 30 constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the sections composing theradiator.

Fig. v3 is a horizontal plan section taken approximately in the plane of line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an inner side elevational view of one of the end sections of the radiator.

The improved radiator is composed of a pluralityof` separately cast vertically elongated sections secured together side by side to form a generally rectangular cabinet-like structure. Preferably the individual sections are, in so far as possible, made uniform in character for the sake of economy in manufacture, and as shown they comprise two opposite end sections I and III' and a .plurality of intermediate sections Il, the latter being identical, and the former of the same construction except for the reversal required because of their use at opposite ends of the structure. form of a hollow body and when the sections are assembled they provide a plurality of vertically elongated heating chambers I2 of substantial depth in a front to rear direction and spaced apart laterally so as to Vform intervening air spaces of corresponding depth for the passage Each of the sections is in thev through the radiator of the air to be heated. When the radiator is tobe positioned upon the floor of a room, the end sections are extended somewhat below the intermediate sections and, if desired, shaped to provide suitable supporting legs as shown in Fig. 1.

Referring now to Fig. 3, the heating chambers I2 are formed by thin side walls I3 spaced a short distance apart laterally, and outer edge walls I4. In order to present the appearance of a substantially closed cabinet, laterally extending anges I5 are cast integral with the edge walls I 4, which flanges engage one another in abutting relation. Said anges therefore serve to define the outer edge walls of the aforesaid intervening air spaces.

It will, of course, be understood that the heating chambers I2 are interconnected for the circu- A lation of a heating medium such as steam or hot water. The construction employed for this purpose, being well understood in the art, need -not be described in detail. As shown, upper and butionover the heated surfaces of the radiator A of a large volume of air passing through the radiator; for a rapid and eiectual transmission of heat to the air in its passage; and for a control of the air in its discharge from the radiator in order to effect a proper mixture thereof with the air in the lower portion of the room. For this purpose the heating chambers have cast integral with their side walls a multiplicity of thin heat-conducting ns coacting with said side walls to provide in each of the air spaces a multiplicity of air passages 20 communicating at their lower ends with air inlet openings 2| and extending upwardly one behindthe other in parallel relation and thence horizontally forward in superimposed relation, terminating in vertically elongated upper discharge openings 2,2 in the upper part of the front wall of the radiator. To form the inlet openings 2l and the discharge openings 22, the anges I5 are appropriately interrupted at the bottom and upper front sides of the radiator, each of the openings being of a vertical length approximately corresponding to the front to rear depth of the radiator.

While the construction and arrangement employed to provide the passages 20 for each of said air spaces may vary, in the preferred embodi- `ment the aforesaid ilns are in the form of a plurality of continuous solid ribs 23 of uniform width and corresponding to the width of the edge flanges I5. Like said flanges the ribs 23 are cast integrally with the thin side walls I3 of the heating chambers, with the ribs and flanges on adjacent sections terminating in abutting engagementin a transverse plane midway between the heating chambers I2 or centrally of the air passages 20. exten-ding upwardly a substantial distance from the lower to the upper portion of the radiator, the ribs 23 curve gently forward in such upper portion of the radiator so as to terminate in vertically spaced relation lengthwise of the corresponding discharge opening 22. y front flanges I5 and ribs 23 coact with the side Walls of the heating chambers to form a multiplicity of laterally closed flues whereby the moving body of air passing upwardly through the radiator is divided in a front to rear direction andthen horizontally so as to effect a substantially uniform distribution of the air in its passage through the radiator. At the same time, the flanges I5 and ribs 23 constitute thin heatradiating fins for the effectual transmission of heat to the air. Any retardation in the flow of the air in its passage occurs in the upper curved portions of the passages, which is the hottest part of the radiator.

As will be observed from Fig. 3 of the drawing, the lateral spacing between the heating* chambers I2 is substantially greater than the thickness of said chambers, being in the present instance on the order of twice as great as the intermediate sections of the radiator. Also the width of the passages is correspondingly greater than the depth thereof as determined by the spacing of the ribs 23 relative to each other and to the edge flanges I5. Such proportioning of the parts has the effect of exposing the air passing through the radiator to heated surfaces having a large combined area and intimately related to the heating chambers for the effectual transmission of heat from the heating medium circulating through such chambers. Moreover, the vertical spacing of the ribs 23 at the point of discharge of the air through the openings 22 being relatively small, a positive directional control is imparted to the air as it.discharges forwardly from the radiator, thereby insuring the travel of the air forwardly from the radiator for a substantial distance and the effectual mixing thereof with the air in the lower portion of the room.

By making the edge flanges I5 and the ribs 23 of uniform depth, their edges may be conveniently machined as by disk grinding to a smooth flat surface so that when the 4sections of the radiator are secured tightly together in assembled relation, the joints between the sections may be rendered substantially invisible particularly when the outer surface of the radiator is painted or enameled. Preferably, the passages 2li are of uniformcross sectional area and form throughout their lengths, so as to facilitate cleaning thereof.

In order to lend rigidity to the construction, especially in view of the fact that the side walls of the heating chambers are made Very thin, a

, cast metal radiators.

Also, it will be observed that, after v 'I'hus the.

suitable number of stays 24 (Fig. 3) may be provided between the walls of such chambers.

It has been found that radiators constructed in the manner set forth are highly efilcient from the standpoint of heat exchanging capacity, with the result that the amount of metal required in constructing the radiator is substantially smaller than in the case of ordinary or conventional Moreover, the amount of space consumed thereby is substantially reduced. Apparently, the high degree of efficiency obtained is due to the large volume of air circulated through the radiator in intimate contact with the walls of the flues or passages 20 which serve to distribute the air substantially uniformly in its passage through the radiator. The vertically elongated portions of the passages operate with a chimney effect, thereby inducing the flow of a large volume of air which is discharged forcibly through the front discharge openings 22. cordingly, the radiator operates largely upon the principle of convection.

A further and important advantage flowing from the construction employed is that the radiator provides a much more attractive appearance than prior cast metal radiators and avoids the necessity of separate sheet metal covers where an ornamental appearance is desired. And from this standpoint of appearance, it will be observed that the air discharge openings with the ends of the ribs 23 terminating therein, may be so coordinated with the forward edge walls of the heating chambers as to provide a grille work of very pleasing appearance. Thus, with the arrangement of vparts shown in Fig. 1, wherein the ends of the ribs 23 terminate substantially flush with the front edge walls of the heating chambers, the effect of a cross bar grille is obtained.

For the sake of uniformity of appearance, the end sections I0 and I0' are preferably constructed so that the heating chambers provided thereby are made of substantially greater thickness than the intermediate chambers.

'I'his application is a continuation of my copending application Serial No. 655,235, filed February 4, 1933.

I claim as my invention:

1. A heat exchanger comprising a plurality of cast sections each having a relatively narrow and elongated chamber for heated fluid, said sections connected together for circulation of fluid through the sections in succession, and edge and internal flns projecting from each section toward an adjacent section and together forming walls of verticallyextending laterally closed elongated open-ended ilues of substantial length, said internal fins having portions curved to cause said air to be discharged forwardly in a horizontal direction, and said edge llns forming outer surfaces for the exchanger simulating a cabinet which surfaces are uninterrupted except for a grille formed by the open ends of the curved portions of said flues in the front of the simulated cabinet.

2. A heat exchanger consisting of a plurality of elongated cast sections, veach section being formed to provide a chamber for heated fluid, means connecting said sections together so that said fluid may circulate through said sections in succession, and ns projecting from the sides of certain of said sections and contacting with matching fins on said adjacent sections, said fins being formed so as to provide an uninterrupted outer closed wall throughout the lower portion of said exchanger, and to provide a multiplicity of Ill) aoeaoss bottom of the exchanger, said ues being open adjacent said bottom.

3. A heat exchanger consisting of a multiplicity of cast sections each including a chamber for heated iiuid and continuous ns projecting laterally therefrom into contact with matching ns of anadjacent section to form flues, said sections beingl formed externally so as to present the appearance of a cabinet all of the walls of which are imperforate except the upper part of the front wall which simulates Va grille, said grille being formed by the open ends of ilues formed by the fins on the sections, and said ns terminating adjacent the lower part of the exchanger, said flues having smooth walls and being 'of substantially the same cross sectional area from end to end whereby they may be readily cleaned.

4. An end section for a heat exchanger made up of a multiplicity of cast sections comprising a hollow body formed to provide a chamber for heating uid, the top, sides and edges of said body being relatively fiat surfaces, fins projecting from one side only of said body and forming flues extending lengthwise of said body and then toward one edge thereof, and a connection for a conduit communicating with said chamber at the side of said body from which said fins project.

5. The end section defined in claim 4 including a n that forms a smooth continuation of the top and edge walls of said chamber at the side at which said fins are formed, said fins being interrupted only for the openings of said fiues.

6. A heat exchanger comprising a plurality of cast sections each having a relatively narrow and elongated chamber for heated fluid, said sections being connected together for circulation of uid through the sections in succession, and edge fins projecting from each section toward and contacting with a matching iin on an adjacent section so as to form a relatively smooth wall at the front and top of said exchanger interrupted adjacent the top of said exchanger, and a multiplicity of internal fins projecting from each section toward and contacting with a matching fin on an adjacent section, said last named ns terminating substantially in the plane of said wall at the interrupted part thereof and forming a multiplicity of open ues presenting the appearance of a grille at the front of said exchanger.

7. A cast metal radiator comprising a plurality of vertically elongated sections secured together side by side and forming a cabinethaving a closed top wall and a closed front wall with laterally spaced vertically elongated air discharge openings in the upper part of its front wall and laterally spaced horizontally elongated openings in its bottom side, said sections providing between said openings a plurality of narrow vertically elongated heating chambers of substantial depth with intervening air spaces terminating in said openings, and a plurality of heat-conducting fins cast integral with the side walls of the heating chambers and serving to divide each of said intervening air spaces into a multiplicity of air passages extending upwardly from near the lower portion of the radiator and forwardly near the upper portion thereof toward said discharge openings, said ns providing adjacent each discharge opening opposed vertically spaced surfaces operative upon the air in its passage to direct it forwardly beyond the radiator in superimposed streams. s

8. A cast metal radiator comprising a plurality of vertically elongated sections secured together side by side and forming a cabinet having a closed top wall and a closed front wall with laterally spaced vertically elongated air discharge openings in the upper part of its front wall and laterally spaced horizontally elongated openings in its bottom side, said sections providing between said openings a plurality of narrow vertically elongated heating chambers of substantial depth with intervening air spaces terminating in said openings, and a plurality of heat-conducting fins cast integral withl the side walls of the heating chambers and serving to divide each of said intervening air spaces into a multiplicity of air passagesextending upwardly from near the lower portion of the radiator and forwardly near the upper portion thereof toward said discharge openings, the forward ends of said fins coacting with the forward edges of the heating chambers betweenthe air discharge openings to form an ornamental grille.

9. A cast metal radiator comprising a plurality of vertically elongated sections secured together side by side and forming a cabinet having laterally spaced vertically elongated air discharge openings in the upper part of its front wall and laterally spaced horizontally elongated openings in its bottom side, said sections providing between said openings a plurality 'of vertically elongated heating chambers of substantial depth with inter- Vening 'air spaces terminating in said openings, and a plurality of heat-conducting ns cast integral with the side walls of the heating chambers and serving to divide each of said intervening air spaces into a multiplicity of air passages extending upwardly from near the lower portion of the f radiator and forwardly near 'the upper portion thereof toward said discharge openings, the ns defining the upper forward portions of said passages being in the form of continuous vertically spaced ribs with rear end portions curving gently downward.

10. A cast metal radiator comprising a plurality of vertically elongated sections secured together side by side and forming a substantially rectangular cabinet having laterally spaced vertically elongated air discharge ,openings in the upper part of its front wall and laterally spaced horizontally elongated openings in its bottom side, said sections providing between said openings a plurality of vertically elongated heating chambers of substantial depth with intervening air spaces terminating in said openings, and a plurality of heat conducting fins cast integral with the side walls of the heating chambers and serving todivide each of said intervening airl spaces into a multiplicity of air passages extending upwardly from near the lower portion of the radiator and forwardly near the upper portion thereof toward said discharge openings, the fins defining the upwardly and forwardly extending portions of said passages being in the form of horizontally elongated openings in its bottomA side,` said sections providing between said openings a plurality of narrow vertically elongated heating chambers of substantial depth with relatively wide intervening air spaces terminating ln said openings, and a plurality of heat conducting 5 ns cast integral with the side walls of the-heatingI chambers and serving to divide each of said intervening air spaces into a multiplicity of air passages extending upwardly from near the lower portion of the radiator and forwardly near the upper portion thereof toward said discharge openings, said passages being ofa lateral' width approximately twice the Width of said heating chambers.

12. A cast metal radiator comprising a plurality of vertically elongated sections secured together side by side and forming a substantially rectangular cabinet having laterally spaced vertically elongated air discharge openings inthe upper part of its front wall and laterally spaced horizontally elongated openings in its bottom side, said sections providing between said openings a plurality of narrow vertically elongated heating chambers of substantial depth with relatively 'wide intervening air spaces terminating in said openings, and a plurality of heat conducting ns cast integral with the side walls of the heating chambers and serving to divide each of said intervening air spaces into' a multiplicity of air passages extending upwardly from near the lower portion of the radiator and forwardlyV near the upper portion thereof toward said discharge.

openings, said passages being of a depth in a front to rear direction substantially lessthan the lateral width thereof.

13. A cast metal radiator comprising a plurality of vertically elongated sections secured together side by side to form a cabinet-like structure and having a plurality of narrow vertically disposed heating chambers of substantial depth in a front to rear direction and a plurality of relatively wide intervening air spaces of a depth substantially corresponding to the heating chambers, said heating chambers having thin at side walls and outer edge walls with laterally projecting edge flanges dening edge walls for said air spaces and coacting with the edge walls of the heating chambers to form substantially smooth outer surfaces for the front and top walls of the radiator, said edge flanges being interrupted at the bottom of the radiator tol form laterally spaced air inlet openings communicating with the respective air spaces and being interrupted at the upper front side of the radiator to form laterally spaced air discharge openings for the respective air spaces of a vertical height approximately corresponding to the front to rear depth of the air chambers, each of said heating chambers having cast integral with the side walls ithereof a multiplicity of thin solid heat conducting ns coacting to form a multiplicity of air passages extending upwardly in parallel relation from the lower portion of the radiator and forwardly near the upper portion thereof so as to direct the air forwardly through said discharge opening in a plurality of superimposed streams.

ALLEN P. LIVAR. 

